Gathering My Chick Supplies!

This is either my Tansy or Marguerite taken shortly after I brought them home.

This is a then two year old  Jaidy's first look at the new babies. Love her expression!

I'm getting excited! New chicks should be in my brooder box next weekend. I picked up a second brooder lamp a few days ago. My original lamp is in the Hen House chasing the the ice from from the girls water bowl. After I clean out the Hen House this weekend I am putting the plastic waterer back in place. Sage is the messiest hen I have ever endured! So the plastic waterer will be hung from the rafters under the lamp and there will be clean water for the two girls. I also purchased another chick waterer and chick feeder along with a bale of Aspen bedding. Monday I will make a quick before work run to Bloomington to pick up 50 pounds of organic chick feed. I do not use medicated feed ... ever. If the chicks are healthy and are receiving fresh, clean water and food. If they are in a clean, well kept brooder box I see no need to feed medicated feed ... just my two cents.

Still waiting to see what chicken breeds the local farm stores will be offering this year. I know I will definitely be buying more Red Stars.They lay the best jumbo brown eggs I have ever eaten. I hope to find Black Stars too. Barred Rocks are a possibility and Americanas (Easter Eggers) are on the short list. My friend Sara has Australorps and I have heard good things about them being a friendly, gentle bird. I think Miss Jaidy would like them. She enjoys petting the girls and my Tansy was a favorite so Orpingtons are on the long list.

It is going to be hard to keep my count down to a dozen new girls. I first thought I would just add ten but the lists keep growing so the numbers also keep growing!

Tough Summer

Seal in the kitty basket

Indy in the greenhouse

Lenny trying to mess with Sebastian.

I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted until I actually went to the blog to enter this post. Yikes it has been months!

News-wise it was a rough summer. I lost two of my kittens from last September and my Indy cat was a victim of a hit-and-run driver. Losing Seal and Lenny was hard but losing Indy was especially difficult. She was the one who would sit on my lap and begin nursing on my clothes. I wouldn't be paying her any attention and when I would get up from the chair I would have a large soggy spot on my clothes. She was my shadow. (sigh)

The super early spring/summer we experienced messed up my garden plans, as it did most gardeners. Such a crazy season. I learned quite a bit about using my greenhouse. This was first season using one and there is a learning curve. Working full-time makes it hard to keep the temperature regulated. When I work 12-8 it's not too big a deal to check the thermometer and make adjustments. The days I work 8:30-5:00 are a little more tricky. I must come home on my lunch hour to unzip the mesh covered windows, doors and if it is really warm roll up the sides.

My peach tree had an abundance of fruit but I was only able to enjoy one peach (which was fabulous) because someone waited until the peaches were dead ripe then stole every last one of them. Angela and I had planned to make a small batch of peach jam to give as Christmas presents. The loss made me mad then made me sad.

The little fig trees have held their own. They are still pretty small but considering the weather I felt just staying a live was quite a coup for such small starts.

My grape vines and blueberry bushes didn't make it.

I visited Leahy's Greenhouse, a local greenhouse, a few weeks ago to buy a new rhubarb plant. After thinking about it I went back the next day to buy a second rhubarb and three blueberry bushes. The following day I added  2 red current bushes to the mix. Daddy was already planning to pick up my mess of plants. Then I called Mom and told her the number of plants had increased I asked her to let Daddy know the number of plants he was hauling. I didn't want him to be surprised. lol

We were finally able to attend Market today. Between a show, sickness and chances of rain Angela and I had missed the last four Saturdays. I sold a hat, a scarf I had just finished weaving in the ends and one skein of yarn. I have another scarf on the hook and need to dye some more yarn. The skein I sold was dyed using Osage Orange shavings. It made a neat mix of dark and light tones.

My sisters and grandniece and I are having a girls nite at Angela's house this evening. Homemade pizzas, ooey gooey butter cake, a. new Barbie movie for Jaidyn and a little crafting for the sisters ... should be a fun evening. [smile]

Happy 4th Birthday Jaidy!

Today is my grand-niece Jaidyn's fourth birthday. She is our delight and joy!

Happy Birthday Jaidy Lu with love from Aunt Penny!

Our Month of Happy Birthday's

December is a birthday month for my family. Today is my birthday followed by our Miss Jaidyn's fourth birthday on the 12th, and of course on the 25th we celebrate Jesus' birthday. Lots of festivities, food and family time going on this month.

Have a great week!

A Little Update

It surprised me to see I hadn't posted in three weeks. The month of June seems to have flown by until poof it's now July. Daddy told me as I got older time would become a fleeting thing and he was right!

One Friday evening in the middle of June Angela, Mom and Daddy did the Survivor's Walk at the Relay for Life event in Bedford. It was pretty special watching them walk arm in arm around that track knowing what they have gone through and what Daddy and Angela still face. Heather and Angela did the Caregivers lap. Because of the "boot" I wasn't able to make that lap, but halfway around the track Jaidy joined them so that was fun. Debbie and I sat in the bleachers for the most part but Deb did get a few photos.

Market has continued to be profitable for Angela and I. Her hats and felted bags are popular and my yarn is getting a good response. So yay!

This morning Jack, a fellow who sells beautiful wooden bowls at Market, gave me a bag of Osage Orange shavings. Before he tries a new-to-him wood Jack does a little research. He found that Osage Orange was a safe wood for his bowls and was once used by Native Americans to make a yellow dye. He thought I might be able to use it and brought it along this morning. The next time he uses Red Cedar he will save me another batch of shavings.

Natural dyes is something I want to explore this summer. Last year I dyed with Indigo but I really want to expand into things like native woods, plants and wild blooms. I'm looking for a Coleman type camp stove so I can continue to dye outdoors. Keeping my mess, and the heat, outside is always a good thing.

Please Angela in your prayers. She will begin chemo again a week from Independence Day.

Take joy,
Penny

Groundhogs, Robins and a Birthday.

Groundhog's Day was my Mom's 73 rd birthday. We waited until the 5th to celebrate with lunch at her favorite restaurant, the Asian Pearl. Lunch was followed by dessert and pressies at Angela's house. Mom had gifted Angela with the cupcake stand so she filled it with pretty lil cupcakes for our dessert. Notice the single candle on the topmost cupcake .. Jaidy "helped" her granny blow out the flame. That was her cupcake. Jaidy likes her a good cuppy cake. =)

My sisters and I are very blessed to still have our Mom and Daddy with us.

As I was going to the car I saw my first robin of the year. Poor bird. It is still freakishly cold here in southern Indiana. According to the official groundhog we are suppose to have an early Spring. I so hope he is right!

Merry Christmas from The Black Sheep Cottage

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We do our family celebration on Christmas Eve. This year will be a little different as we will gather at Angela's instead of going home to the farm. Our Mom hasn't been feeling very well. Being together is what counts so we adapt. This year Jaidy is three and should liven things up considerably.

Jaidyn was in her first Christmas program Sunday evening. She was a hoot. No concern at all about being in front of a crowd.

Wishing you all a blessed time with family and friends. Please take time to remember the reason for the season.

Week's Update.

My sister Debbie brought Jaidy to the Library on Friday. They popped into the office and visited for a few minutes. Deb told me Jaidy said she wanted to go to the "Liberry" to see Penny, play and get books. Big yay that she put me before play and books! ;^)

We had a great day at Market. The weather was perfect! We spent time visiting with friends, got a little baby love and made some money. My hand dyed wool received some compliments and a couple of folks were intrigued by the indigo dyed yarn and shibori.

I worked on a silk scarf this morning. It is almost ready for the indigo vat. If it is "photo worthy" I'll ask Angela to take a few photos. This afternoon I will prop up my feet and but the rest of the indigo yarn on the swift and use my ball winder. I should have five skeins to take next Saturday.

I also need to make more earrings to cover the ones I sold yesterday and fill up my display. I think I'll make a few dainty little earrings for young ladies. Most of what I create are long and not really appropriate for the younger girls.

Tomorrow I go to Carmel, Indiana to see my knee surgeon, Dr. John McCarroll. He is the doctor who did my ACL reconstruction several years ago. My nurse practitioner thinks I have a cyst on the tendon of my right knee. It has begun to bother me so I decided it should be taken care of before Angela has her surgery at the end of the year. Hopefully it won't be a big deal.

Take care and stay cool!

It's still too hot!

It is still crazy hot and humid here in southern Indiana. We get these little pop up storms and instead of cooling things down they only raise the humidity even more. I apologize for being a whiny baby but dang I would like to enjoy some of the summer.

I raided the savings account and bought a laptop at WalMart this morning. It was a good deal on an Acer Aspire 5251. (Good thing I like Ramen noodles, oats, and other cheap foods!) Some of my Library customers use net books and like them very much. While I like the portability of the smaller size reading from the small screen and typing on that small keyboard would get old in a hurry.

We have several free Wi-Fi places in Bedford, including the Library, so I may wait a bit before I get service at home.

Angela's visit to the neurosurgeon didn't go as we had hoped. Because of the pleurisy, cracked rib and some capillary swelling in her brain it may be December before the surgery happens. =(

The photo is one Angela took a few weeks ago when Jaidy and her Meme (my sis DebJo) came to visit the chickies. We love how her lil rounded cheeks show the bit of baby girl still in her face.

Jaidy hadn't seen the girls since they were very small and was quite amazed at how large they were now. She knew she must not chase them but decided to try out her recently acquired "skipping" skills. Too funny! The girls did not think much of this so we only let her make a couple of laps in the pen.

Stay cool and have a blessed week!

Happy Birthday to Debbie and Ivan!

A few photos of the birthday duo. Deb's birthday was the 18th and Ivan's is May 5th.

They got presents, we had good food .. everyone was happy. =)

Jaidyn and the Chicks

After the food and birthday presents on Saturday I ran home and gathered up two of the chicks for show-and-tell.

They were a huge hit with Jaidyn (two and a half year old grandniece). Jaidy knew they were birds but just wasn't certain what kind of birds they were. She was really very good with them. We told her they were babies and she must be gentle and easy with them. Other than thinking she had been bitten when one of them touched her with it's lil beak it was a good introduction.